Politics
NEW: Egypt Steps Up Efforts To Deal With Gaza Crisis After Pressure From Trump
Egypt is reportedly pushing for a meeting of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in order to address the conflict in the Gaza Strip after President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. will become directly involved if neighboring states fail to deal with the refugee crisis.
According to a report from the National, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are vehemently opposed to Trump’s plan to become directly involved and intend to help Egypt rally the rest of the OIC in opposition. A date has not yet been chosen for the summit, though it is expected to be held after the Arab League meets in Cairo at the end of the month.
President Trump previously stated that the U.S. will take direct control of the Gaza Strip and force neighboring Arab states to accept refugees if a plan is not put in place. Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House last week, Trump outlined his vision for Gaza’s future, describing it as “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Trump’s rhetoric around the Gaza crisis has compared to his approach to tackling the Panama Canal dispute, as the president stated that the U.S. would take direct control of the key shipping route if Panama failed to honor the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty and moved away from China. After a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Panama announced that it would be ending a key trade agreement with China.
Saudi Arabia has also invited the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the UAE for a summit in Riyadh in order to discuss President Trump’s plan. Palestinian Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has also been invited, suggesting that the meeting will strike a tone of opposition to Trump.
President Donald Trump speaks with Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, during their meeting Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
Egypt is reportedly determined to talk Trump out of his Gaza plan in an effort to outmuscle Saudi Arabia, which has thus far taken the lead. Part of Egypt’s strategy is to implement an agreed upon reconstruction plan led and financed by Arab states, which will include the formidable task of resettling Palestinian refugees. According to the National, which spoke to numerous Egyptian government officials, the summit will be aimed at “persuading” Trump rather than confronting him.
“What Trump has proposed can possibly be undermined and made to eventually crumble, so long as there’s Arab and Islamic unity. It’s important at this juncture to revive the old sentiments and mindset of Arab nationalism. It’s the best defense of the Palestinian cause,” one source said.
Another source told the outlet that Egypt intends to push a 15-year reconstruction plan with the first three-year phase of rebuilding infrastructure to begin almost immediately. Egypt hopes to use the summit as a platform to build Islamic unity behind the plan in order to solve the issue themselves.
International Crisis Group director Michael Hanna told the National that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi does not plan to follow in the footsteps of the Jordanian government by meeting Trump in Washington. According to the report, Siri fears that a direct confrontation with Trump could do more harm than good.
Egypt currently receives $1.3 billion in American military assistance, though Sisi also fears that allowing Trump to handle the Gaza crisis could tank his popularity in his home country and the Islamic world as a whole.
The summit is also expected to explore the possibility of Saudi Arabia picking up the check if Trump moves to cut billions of dollars in foreign aid to Egypt and Jordan.
“Pay attention to how the Gulf states are reacting to all this, because they’re the ones that are simultaneously most likely to be able to resist Trump’s pressures, and also it will send a regional signal to Egypt and Jordan as to what their options are,” Tufts University professor of international politics Daniel Drezner told ABC News on Friday.
“The Jordanians, in particular, need the money. They’re not oil rich, and same with Egypt, but in some ways the expectation would be that if Trump actually threatened to cut them off, they would likely turn first to Saudi Arabia and the Emiratis,” Drezner added.
